Month: September 2005

GARDAI in Clare are being advised not to use their person- al mobile phones, laptops and cameras for official use.

The Garda Representative Association (GRA) issued the advice in response to delays in introducing a new radio system, despite repeated calls for it.

The GRA has been told the new “Tetra” digital radio sys- tem will not be introduced for four years. Justice Miunister Michael McDowell has said there are no finances available,

before then.

Clare-based member of the GRA Central Executive, Garda Tom Keane of Ennis says this is not good enough as the existing system regularly breaks down in rural parts of the county.

“We are trying to get a radio system for years. There are a lot of blackspots where the cur- rent system breaks down. This happens regularly. It 1s totally outdated,’ said Garda Keane.

“We are urging our members not to use mobile phones until they give us a radio system,’ he said.

A COURT application that a 16-year-old boy currently be- ing detained at St Patrick’s In- stitution in Dublin, be placed in the custody of his parents, has been refused.

The youth, who cannot be named, has pleaded guilty to eight charges, including burglary, larceny, criminal damage and the unauthorised taking of a vehicle, in the Miltown Malbay and Spanish Point areas, between October 2004 and February last.

Earlier this month, he was remanded in custody to St Patrick’s Institution and a probation report was to be carried out. Lisdoonvarna District Court heard last Wednesday that the report was not available.

“It is not my client’s fault that there is no probation re- port here,” said solicitor Jim Finnegan. He said that his client has suffered an injury and that he did not seem to be getting attention for this at St lsu le ay

Judge Joseph Mangan re-

plied, “If you have a prob- lem with the way he is being treated you have one of two options — the Minister for Justice or the High Court.”

The accused boy’s mother said if he was allowed to go home, he would not cause trouble.

“T think he has realised the Seriousness of the matter, having been in St Pat’s for a week. I presume he’d prefer to be at home,” she said.

Judge Mangan remanded the boy in custody, to appear in court again next month.

A 16-year-old Kilrush youth threatened to kill three gardai and said he would find out Where every garda lived, it was alleged in court.

The accused, who cannot be named, is charged with engaging in threatening, abu- sive or insulting behaviour at Kilrush Garda Station on September 20.

Detective Garda Michael McDonagh told Lisdoonvarna District Court last Wednesday that the accused arrived at the garda station to sign on, as part of his bail conditions as- sociated with another case. He told the garda that he knew where two shotguns were.

The garda told the court that two shotguns, stolen in Kilrush, were still missing. The ac-

cused is alleged to have said the guns were being ‘kept for something big’, otherwise, they would be let off every night.

He allegedly said he would kill three Kiul- rush-based gardai. The youth also allegedly said he would find out where “every one of ye lives.”

In court, the accused said he did not have a solicitor.

“T want to speak for myself… Sure I did nothing.” He said he had taken tablets the previous evening and could not remember what had happened.

“I’m sorry but I don’t know what I done,” he said.

Judge Joseph Mangan granted an applica- tion to remand the accused in custody, to ap- pear again in court later this week.

this week, ““What could we do? We had to do this. We are very sad and the people of Ballyvaughan are very sad at what has happened.”

The two built the restaurant without planning permission and over the past 20 months tried to stave off a District Court ruling of December 2003, affirming a Clare County Council order to demolish their premises.

Sibylle said this week, “We never ex-

pected the restaurant to be such a suc- cess. It has been quite an experience. We don’t know what impact the closure will have on Ballyvaughan.”

The Holywell restaurant will relocate to the old Market building in Ennisty- mon and will be ready to open in late No- vember or early December. The workers laid off will have the option of working in the new venture.

Councillor Martin Lafferty (Ind) ex- pressed regret this week that a compro- mise could not be reached between the council and the Dietls in ensuring that the restaurant would remain open at Bal- lyvaughan.

“The restaurant will be a loss to Bal- lyvaughan, as the likes of B&B owners have told me that the restaurant was a tre- mendous asset to the place. What is Bal- lyvaughan’s loss is Ennistymon’s gain.

“IT can’t understand how they could

have spent so much money on something they didn’t have permission for.”

An Bord Pleandala has turned down two planning retention applications for the restaurant. Permission was initially se- cured from Clare County Council, only for a competitor to appeal the decision.

The couple borrowed €1.5 million to finance their Ballyvaughan venture. Their plans to transform it into a lan- guage centre were turned down by the County Council. They have appealed that decision to An Bord Pleanala.

The appeal against the district court decision was adjourned to the October sittings of Kilrush Circuit Court.

At the last hearing in June, the Dietls’ counsel Des Longe BL told Judge Carroll Moran, “The Dietls accept that this 1s the end of the road for operating a restaurant at this location and they intend to comply with the court.”

A SERIOUSLY injured man lay in agony for an hour after a road accident in Scariff on Sun- day night, because the Scariff ambulance was locked up.

Distraught locals did their best to comfort the injured man, who was thrown from his motor- cycle into a garden. The motorbike demolished the pier of a garden wall.

He is now in the intensive care unit at Limer- ick’s Regional Hospital and is being treated for serious lower body injuries.

The accident, which also involved a car, hap- pened at 7.30pm at Ballyminogue on the Scar- iff to Portumna road.

One local woman who tried to help the in- jured 28-year old said that it was “absolutely dreadful. The man was in terrible pain but he had to wait nearly 45 minutes for a doctor and a full hour for an ambulance to come out from Limerick.”

The local woman said that residents on the road “came out to do what they could, but it was terrible. He was obviously badly injured, but we didn’t know what to do. An hour is a very long time when you’re lying injured on the ground yet there was an ambulance just up the road. It’s a disgrace.”

One eye-witness who came on the scene said that the “bike was mangled. It looked as if it had been cut in half.”

One Scariff resident said that the “fire bri-

gade were there very quickly, way before there was any medical help for the poor man. We need that ambulance available to us and a lo- cal number that we can ring for a doctor when

something this serious happens. It took far too long for medical help to reach him.”

Local Councillor, Colm Wiley (FF) called just last month for a full-time ambulance serv- ice for the Scariff area.

“That ambulance is under lock and key from about 7pm until after midnight because there is no funding to crew it,’ the councillor said.

He said that the injured man might well have had to wait for an ambulance to come from even further away, if one had not been avail- able to come out from Limerick.

“It’s a very serious situation and lives are be- ing put at risk because of it. I am calling for funding to be made available immediately to provide 24 -hour crewing for the ambulance which is already here,’ he said.

East Clare Senator Timmy Dooley said, the Scariff ambulance service needs to be upgrad- ed as a matter of urgency.

A report on the ambulance services for the Mid-West Region, including the service in Scariff, has been submitted to the Health Serv- ice Executive for consideration.

“This is something we have been campaign- ing for, for a while and it has been brought to the attention to the Minister for Health,’ he Sr ntee

THE Shannon Airport Au- thority (SAA) has told Shan- non Development that it will no longer contribute towards the funding of future tour- ism marketing campaigns.

In a policy shift for the low-cost airport, Director of Shannon Airport, Martin Moroney, said this week, “we are now delivering the Seats; the tourism bodies should be delivering the pas- sengers.”

Mr Moroney revealed that the SAA Board recently re- jected a concept put forward by Shannon Development, to continue pooling financial resources to market the West of Ireland.

This year, the SAA con- tributed <€100,000 towards a €1 million fund to market the West of Ireland in the UK. Shannon Development contributed €100,000 to the JaUU ATO Dmr-W(Oyetcammr‘sleMe)H elo) mm-bexes 0c cies along the western sea- board. “We shouldn’t be expect- ed any longer to contribute financially to these cam- paigns. They are campaigns for tourism and should be confined to tourism. Any request from any organisa- tion in the future will be re- jected on the basis that it is the tourism sector’s job to promote tourism. “We contributed €100,000 to the campaign this year. But our model now is getting in the airlines, building our facilities and over the future, driving down our charges. Mit lmehmeltlamessrletdmeerieec oLULSCOyO MUM Aaomner-DENE “If anything, they should be offering money to help us develop the airport and get- ting more airlines in. “We're saying no, we’re not contributing, we shouldn’t be expected to. It might have made sense before when we were a bit weaker, but not now, when we are providing all the seats.” Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O’Leary said, “I was disturbed to hear that Shannon Development was in with the Board of Shan- non Airport looking for money the other week. That is not the way tourism busi- ness is going to be developed in this region. If that is what Shannon Development is up to, the sooner they are dis- banded the better.” At spokesman for Shannon Development said that the company was disappointed at Mr O’Leary’s reported comments and said _ they didn’t reflect the company’s tourism promotion efforts.

THE State has applied to the District Court to secure the medical records of the man charged in connection with the death of Ann Walsh in Kilrush last month.

Raymond Donovan, of New Houses, Co- oraclare, is charged with intentionally or recklessly causing harm to the 23-year-old woman at Toler Street, Kilrush, on August 24. He is currently in custody at Limerick Prison.

His solicitor, Tara Godfrey, had previously expressed concern that he had not seen a psychiatrist at the prison, after he had spent

more than a week there. However, the court was told last Friday week that he had been assessed, but the report on that assessment was not available to the court at that stage.

Inspector Tom Kennedy told Ennis district court last Friday that Kilrush Supt Joe McK- eown — who is leading the investigation in the death of Ms Walsh — 1s seeking to ob- tain the records in respect of Mr Donovan.

Ms Godfrey said, “I would have to ask, be- cause of the seriousness of this case, why the State is seeking such records?”

Judge Joseph Mangan adjourned the ap- plication until Friday, when the accused is again due before the court.

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